"The truth is that the raid was at a military site under construction. We are against mass destruction weapons for Israel, Iran or others. "

Bashar also brought a curious logical point about where a device should or could or shouldn't or couldn't be deployed.

"Where would we use it? On Israel it would kill the Palestinians. I do notsee this as logical."

True that - vaporizing and irradiating Palestine may not be the best way to regain Greater Syria, cut sweety security arrangements, trade concessions and recognized regional aspirations with Great Satan.

Though it does make one heck of a backup plan if the "totally O" word is Dr Strangelovinglyapplied to all the players in Damascus. If regime change is about to unfold - blackmail for bail is certainly an option. Super Villanesque too.

If a certain, sister Arab state (that back in the day was totally dominated turf in Greater Syria) currently chock full of Great Satan's on the ground and in their face combat regime changing, insurgency crushing hellions was horrifically Hiroshima'd - there's a chance Syria would get to move in and take control - for humanitarian reasons - no doubt.

All dot connecting aside, the dots are fairly danging for Syria and her despotic nepotistic semi nihilist regime:

Monday, April 28, 2008

No fair! Great Satan's 30 years in the future military is using magical weaponry to annihilate Mahdi Army in their own pocket caliphate of Sadr City.

Mookie's political fanboy Liqaa Al Yassin in the 'Sadrist Party' complains that sustaining cadres and minions in a hoped for future of rocket rich rejects is being rendered inert.

"Cogent evidence were shown by the criminal investigations and forensics'reports that the occupation forces have used fissile arms during the bombardmentof Sadr City. When diffused, fissile bombs hit a large number of targets andspread on the body, which was evidently clear on the bodies of the dead andwounded in Sadr City."

Heck yeah! Where can we get more of these wonderful devices?

This is totally like the kiss of death for Mahdi Army - after all - how can MA accurately recreate Hiz'B'Allah's model of usurping a sovereign, legit gov and impose despotic designs when Great Satan is in their face and peeling it off?

"We only targeted armed groups in Sadr City that fired missiles at the GreenZone in central Baghdad"

This is significant - since Mookie's threat last WE to launch an open war - the only thing that has been launched has been hundreds of intolerants and their own magical journey of a non corporeal haj to the perfumed gardens of Paradise.

Like 22yo hottie Nadyia Ahmed. She's been there, done that and got the T shirt - it's like a nightmare.

“All these men in black who imposed the laws just vanished from the universityafter this operation. Things have completely changed over the past week. I nowhave the university life that I heard of at high school before the war andalways dreamt about.

It was a nightmare because of these militiamen. I only attended class three days a week but now I look forward to going every day.”

Mookie has had to announce a do over on his communique before last. A week ago Mookie mentioned miltarizing the conflict under Mahdi Army until he ruled all of Iraq.

"So I am giving my final warning ... to the Iraqi government ... to takethe path of peace and abandon violence against its people. If the governmentdoes not refrain...we will declare an open war until liberation."

Issued from his comfy safe as milk lair somewhere far way from fissile missiles, new Iraqi army guys, surging up armored sons of Great Satan and his own constits who are being taken down in Sadr City, the soon to be jumped up Ayatollah reduxed his script for his newly discovered fissile missile magnets

"When we threatened to declare an open war until the liberation, wemeant war against the occupier. There is no war between us and our Iraqibrothers -- no matter what their nationality, race or sect. The blood of Iraqisare forbidden on you."

"Al-Sadr called for a ban on the killing of Iraqis before. That was only a fewdays after the Samaraa crime. And yet the sectarian violence continued.Thousands of Sunnis were killed and their mosques were burned. And the evidenceall pointed to the Mahdi Army. The killing spree continued until operationimposing law (Arabic for Surge) started."

Intolerant, illegitimate weaponized enemies of free choice are being marginalized and annihilated - fissie weaponry aside - by a baby democracy and her legit army guys under the protective watchful eye of Great Satan.

This op may actually be the last chance to avoid a regional war - with Iran and her mullahs, IRRGC's and al Quds duds being the target.

A case could be made that security in Iraq has tranformed about as much as it can - unless the progenitors of Iraqi destability in Tehran are engaged in a really cool mix of asymmetrical, overt covert regime killing regime change.

"Launch a massive blitz on the top 20% of Iran's ruling clerics and IRRGC using cruise and conventional missiles, attack aircraft and old school special ops.

While Iran's rulers have some redundancy in their command and control posts, these are actually quite few in number as are the few calling the shots. Any wanna be successor 'Supreme Leader' could get his guts stomped out in the streets by the Iranians themselves."

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Friday, April 25, 2008

Currently in the ME, there has been little recog of the new Iraqi state. Unneighborly neighbors ignore and diss Iraq like she's the red headed step child of the region - an illegit sister built by another mister like Great Satan or Great Britain.

Despite forgiving tons of debt, many in the Gulf are keeping Iraq at arms length. Fair enough - not so long ago a despotic militant Iraq trashed several neighbors and left their turf as blasted and barren as the moon.

Maria Appakova of Russia's GRU shares a bit about the Third Expanded Ministerial Conference of the Neighboring Countries of Iraq in Kuwait City on April 22

The damage done to many of them by the Saddam Hussein regime was too greatto forget easily, even though Iraq is supposedly ruled by a different govnow. This is clearly evidenced by the final joint declaration passed by theKuwait conference. A full five years after the toppling of Saddam's regime, theparticipants condemned the crimes of the former regime against the peoples ofIraq, Iran and Kuwait, although it would seem they should have turned a cleanpage by now.

On the one hand, they have their reasons to be wary of violence in Iraq. Some ofthose countries' earlier attempts to reopen embassies in Baghdad ended indisaster - in August 2003, 17 were killed in an attack on Jordan's mission. In2005, several Algerian and Egyptian diplomats were kidnapped and killed. But,other countries have incurred casualties, too. The killing of Russian Embassyworkers in 2006 did not lead to a closure of the mission.

But this is only part of the explanation. After all Iran, one of the victimnations mentioned in the declaration, is actively developing contacts withBaghdad, not letting the old grudge get in the way of new relations

And here we see the true cause for the reluctance of others.

The Sunni-led governments in Iraq's Arab neighbors are wary of getting toofriendly with the new Shiite-dominated Iraq government tilted toward Iran, andwriting off its debts.

Moreover, a restored and powerful Iraq would put up serious competitionto its neighbors on the oil market; a stable Iraq is almost certain to bringdown global oil prices.

Therefore, while for the West, Russia, and most Asian nations a stabilizedIraq means billion-dollar contracts and geo-strategic advantages, its Arabneighbors don't really know what to expect. They have not yet developed a policytoward Iraq that would enable them to gain without having to pay too much forit.

The reconciliation between Iraq and the Arab countries is progressing, albeitslowly. It would be better if they translated words into action, and writing offIraq's debts and reopening embassies would be eloquent examples of that.

"Bright, studious, morally committed, physically brave, willing to carry a"heavy rucksack" without complaint and with clear-eyed resolve, Petraeus—alongwith the courageous men and women he has the honor to command—is our best"

Great Satan's Cent Com (Central Command for the unabbreviated) stretches from East Africa to China.

It's one big mess of dysfunctional states, semi states, kingdoms fully stocked on failure, violence, young people and oil. Iraq on one edge and Afghanistan on the other and tens of thousands of American boots already on the ground in both.

The Land of the Pure is there in one corner, threatening to act up and out with nuke powered jihadis'.

The catty cornered Gaza Strip is burning like an Ipod about to catch fire. On the north 40, the last millenium's Soviet Union time republics of the Central Asia 'Stans, skip along under despotries ranging from the merely authoritarian to the genuinely insane.

And right in the middle lies Iran. In Great Satan's military heirarchy of assignments and commands, Central Command is at the top.

Large, in charge, it features all the killing machines, regime changers and truckloads of hurt and destruction that can be delivered on the heads of freedom's enemies at anytime.

Recent combatty bona fides of Surge and making any enemy of Great Satan committed to haj to Iraq for jihad, buddying up with Al Qaeda or Mahdi Army as dumb and down right lethal.

"Awards and decorations earned by General Petraeus include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Distinguished Service Medal, two awards of the Defense Superior Service Medal, four awards of the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal for valor, the State Department Superior Honor Award, the NATO Meritorious Service Medal, and the Gold Award of the Iraqi Order of the Date Palm. He is a Master Parachutist and is Air Assault and Ranger qualified. He has also earned the Combat Action Badge and French, British, and German Jump Wings. "

Congrats Surging General! Cent Com is one tough gig - no doubt. And you are one tough cat

Legend has it while drawing up an op on the spot, Patton turned to his killer commander of killers – Creighton Abrams. Pointing at the map, Patton spoke matter of factly “Abe, I want you and your boys to take the ‘Panzer’ out of SS 2nd Panzer.”

And they did.

Decades later while the locale and players may be a bit diff – the song remains the same.

Recent combat ops in Basra and now in Sadr City are taking the ‘Army’ out of “Mahdi Army.”

Mookie Al Sadr’s militia has had a terrible time. Despite the best training, cadre and weaponry the mullahs in Iran and their commando fanboys in the Revo Guard and Hiz'B'Allah can supply – Mahdi Army is more like a loser league.

"I couldn't liberate Iraq and make it an Islamic society till now. I don't knowwho is responsible for this failure, me or the society."

No emirate, no caliphate, no theocracy and no super Iranian leaning shia majority in the Iraqi gov. Of all the adjectives that could be listed about Mookie - failure is certainly among the 'F' words.

Combat kicks up another notch putting paid to Iran’s plan for a pop uprising from Basra to Baghdad. As soon as the Iraqi new army guys took Basra and the ports and oil terminals – Mookie al Sadr (safe as milk in his super villan lair somewhere in Iran) threatens to call off his recently extended ‘cease fire’ and unleash the mighty (weak) Mahdi army.

"Do you want a third uprising? I direct my last warning and speech to theIraqi government to refrain and to take the path of peace and abandon violenceagainst its people. If the government does not refrain and leash the militiasthat have penetrated it, we will announce an open war until liberation."

Everyone knows the state must have the monopoly on violence. Besides - the entire ME sees what happens when states allow militias and resistence movements to become rocket rich and usurp the state' s sovereignity - like Hiz'B'Allah (another Iranian piece de guerre) has done to tiny tormented Lebanon.

"The state can not withstand the existence of two armies. We don’t have directnegotiations or contacts with the Sadr’s movement because we have nothing tonegotiate with them but also we don’t have problems with the politicalfactions.”

Great Satan's killer commander of killers Major General Rick Lynch agreed and openly admitted open war on Mookie's minions would be very sweet, exciting and very short. Something to openly look forward to.

"If Sadr and Jaish al-Mahdi (Mahdi Army) become very aggressive, we've gotenough combat power to take the fight to the enemy."

Great Satan's delectable diplomat Dr Rice pulled a surprise visit to Iraq and openly dissed Mookie like a broke game, no game player (sitting on the passengers side of his best friends ride trying to holler at hotties at the mall - the very def of weak).

"I know he's sitting in Iran. I guess its all-out war for anybody but him.I guess that's the message; his followers can go to their deaths and he's inIran."

Iran's revo exporting Revolutionary Guards (IRRGC in despotese) is currently fighting a losing battle to export ayatollahism into Iraq. The Basra battle was just a part of their over all strat

"a battle plan that included simultaneous attacks along a north-south axis thatincludes Baghdad, al-Amarah and Basra. No other Iraqi militia group, Shiiteor Sunni, has had the resources to stage such a campaign before"

Since then, Great Satan has been taking on Mahdi Army at every opportunity:

"...retreated to building that contained the local Sadr Trend office.With ISWAT providing support, additional security forces launched a counterattack, overrunning the remaining enemy defenses. The ISF entered the buildingand cleared it of the remaining criminals.

During the sweep of the building, ISF found a large weapons cache containingexplosively formed penetrators, Katyusha rockets, rocket propelled grenadelaunchers and a large quantity of additional weapons and ammunition. Anexplosive ordnance disposal team also found several improvised explosive devicesrigged to explode inside the building. All weapons were destroyed onsite. "

"Security forces arrested eight gunmen, including the group's leader, andconfiscated their documents that include names of politicians and religiousclergies' representatives in Karbala, aiming at eliminating and assassinatingthem."

They were also toting enough bomb stuff to unleash pure heck.

"80 IEDs, 130 detonation devices and 60 kg of TNT."

This is significant. Despite an alledged cease fire, threats of open war and all the worst that Iran, the Revo Guards, and their myriad of militias and soon to be jumped up Ayatollahs can muster - Great Satan is methodically ripping the living guts out of the Mahdi Army.

The best dang thing though was when Condi threw down the gauntlet in a delish wicki smack calling al Sadr out. A hottie like Dr Rice large and in charge delivering the ultimate in a psychological tactic practically daring the AWOL Ayatollah Wanna be to show just a little of that sleek, sexifully silky jet black turbin

Friday, April 18, 2008

"On July 29th 2008 Iran successfully launches a Shahab rocket and orbiting satellite, proving it has a formidable functioning delivery vehicle, then announces it has produced sufficient fissionable material at its Natanz facility to build two nuclear bombs in 2009 and begins work on underground test facilities in the basalt formations beneath the great salt desert of Dacht-e-Kavir.

Two days later Great Satan launches the most audacious regional series of regime changes ever implemented in history, Officially dubbed 'Operation Boundless Freedom" Allies and enemies alike refer to it as 'Operation Great Satan"

3 Iranian submarines are destroyed - 1 in the Med, 1 in the Atlantic and 1 in the Indian Ocean. Another surrenders and defects near Barcelona.

Naval and air force assets at Bandar Abbas are hit with a combination of missiles and a French- Saudi Amphibious assault from Qatar and the UAE. Waves of Tomahawk cruise missiles streak through Persian aerospace from ships and subs - effectively targetting the Iranian air force - air fields, missile sites and air defense systems are struck down within hours.

"American warplanes and missiles carefully avoid striking research reactors in Teheran and Ispahan as well as the nuclear reactor at Bousher--less than 100 kilometers from Kuwait--as well as the centrifuges themselves at Natanz in an effort to prevent the spread of radioactive material to nearby population centers.

However, other missiles producing electromagnetic pulses do knock outvirtually all of Iran's electric grid and computer systems"

Special Forces strike and hold especial clerical compounds in Tehran and Qom right before Friday prayers. Nearly 20% of Iran's ruling praetorian guards and mullahs are captured, killed or missing by breakfast time.

Armed insurgencies break out across Iran as ex and au currant MEK groups strike, sieze and hold towns and cities.

At the same moment, Little Satan launches a panzer blitz straight up the Bekah Valley. Key turf captured and held by paratroopers and commandos. Syrian missile batteries are captured or annihilated by waves of attack aircraft and Syrian armor fights a desperate retreating battle - outmatched and over whelmed by a new school combo of vertical envelopment as armor surges and chops through an immense junkyard of wrecked, smoldering Russian built tanks and a flood of broken Syrian conscripts.

Great Satan' s seaborne regime changing Marines hit the surf just north of the Litani river in Lebanon and methodically grind and leap frog straight through the heart of Hiz'B'AllahLand.

Al Manar - HBA's 'suicide channel' seems to be co opted - running a marathon of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" in Arabic overdubs. All communications in the ME are totally wacked - from Bashar's Al Sana network to Al Jazeera - regular programming has been replaced with the most outrageous cable quality programming the Great Satan can jam like "Playboys Girls Next Door" and choice selections from 'Girls Gone Wild'

The IAF incinerates the power grid in Damascus and by the 3rd day - Little Satan's self propelled artillery is shelling the Presidential Palace. Downtown Damascus is cut off and resistence crumbles.

Within 5 days, Iran is reduced to a state of near paralysis, unable in any sense to retaliate militarily, its entire economic infrastructure in shambles. By this time the largest armored division in history has left Iraq and "Old Ironsides" is within striking distance of a thunder run into downtown Tehran.

Riots wreck the regime and a caretaker gov is installed by the Iranians themselves. Syria is occupied and Hiz'B'Allah is history.

Lebanon starts to rebuild the ME's riviera. HAMAS is suddenly confronted by a host of alternate, well armed. tolerant, egalitarian political movements (funny too - the Strips pop magically increases by nearly 40K) and has a real fight - politically - on it's hands to maintain a bizarro land where death is precious, praised and preferred.

"For there are some extraordinary surprises in this consummate, if brief, but brilliantly conceived work by the man who is perhaps Europe's leading global thinker--chairman of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, adviser to French presidents and ministers of defense and foreign affairs going back to Valery Giscard d'Estaing and top adviser to French arms makers from Thompson to Matra."

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Bi Partisan Politics by some of the New Media's most prolific writers. Political Grind Network has recently revamped their layout and it is sweet.

Featuring a cool new story by renowned conservative writer Michael Johns on the importance of the late great WF Buckley, some really cool up to date pics from Iraq and an eye opening exclusive interview with Senator Mike Gravel - and that's just the last 2 days!

Political Grind is also note worthy for being the only site on the Planet that allows BOTH Roger W. Gardner and GsGf to be members at the same time. Oh! The humanity!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Back around St. Valentine's Day - Great Satan decided to crank up the Strategic Petrol Reserves. It was already at like 96.2 % (which could be argued as being 'full'). Wheee - didn't really matter - the Energy Dept ordered a straight up fill up.

Usually when oil prices become pocket book piercing - considerable pressure is political - and is all about unleashing a bit of that super sweet Strat Reserves to relieve purse pressure - not to bling for even more.

Many reasons why this happened (war for oil anyone?) - including fear of oil flow disruption? Like an earthquake, revolution or - war?

A lovingly recv'd hot and sticky early St Valentine's Day gift, when vexed vengence vaporized a 'dear' psychopathic 'brother commander' of the IRRGC, a founder of Hiz'B'Allah, a mentor of the Mahdi Army and the world's most prolific serial tormentor of Americans in history til 911 time.

Rich - sweet and totally delish is the happy fact that Imad was annihilated in the heart of a computerized, secret police state. Syria - ran by Pres for Life Bashar has a wicked penchant for feeding and funding a sworn enemy of Great Satan - the HBA.

Risible retarded too is the fact that since the eid of mourning hath past, Hiz'B'Allah - despite happy talk of revenge and resistence on Little Satan - instead act out by resisting their very own legit semi functional democracy - tiny terrorized Lebanon.

Little Satan has denied the hit and Great Satan said nothing. Difficult to say. Being the most wanted cat in the world (by 42 diff nations - no less - Imad's anti fan league was due to catch up with him sooner or later.)

Whatever. HBA cried 'foul' and everyone been patiently waiting for HBA to act out in revenge mode.

Then in March - a significant threat magically appeared just out of sight of Lebanon's and Syria's coast. This unengaged regime changing naval amphib Marine toting posse (Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group in regime killing speak) is still unengaged and sweetly loitering somewhere in the Med.

The exact mission statement of these potential potentate pulverizers presence off the coast of Syria and Lebanon.— never really made clear. Great Satan's 6th Fleet is not the only globe prowling, globe stomping regime changing platforms sending some kind of signal.

HBA cats being granted instant easy access to the perfumed halls of Paradise, or Great Satan's missiles and Marines off shore in the Med and Petrol reserve stocking may be innocently unrelated.

It gets better. Before Imad's eid of mourning passed - Little Satan publically shouted out about a Civil Defense - Military Op combo exercise with the optimistic nom de voyage "Turning Point II" to get crunk up in April. Nothing major?

Except Syria was semi hot about it - deploying 3 divisions (2 Panzer and 1 mechanized Inf) at their side of BeKahh Valley. Hiz'B'Allah's home hood is the western part. To be fair, unverified sources claim

"The Syrians didn’t appear to be aggressive. Rather, they deployed theseforcesin a defensive posture, in a way walling off their part of the valley. "

In a real war (conventional for purists) with Little Satan - Syria would enjoy a 'short - but very exciting life.' Like all despotries with an armored fist up their sleeve, Bashar needs those 500 old school tanks. And their deployment is significant. It could be interpeted something like this:

"Syrian ground forces deployed near the Lebanese border would be fair targets. By eliminating 500 Syrian tanks--tanks that Syrian President Bashar Al Assadneeds to preserve his regime and presented with a choice between saving Hezbollah and staying alive, Syria's dictator will choose the latter."

" It involved the entire country, and was designed to test civil defensesand theability of the national command authority to continue to function inthe event ofan attack with unconventional weapons — chemical and nuclear.

This was a costly exercise. It also involved calling up reserves, some of themfor the exercise, and, by some reports, others for deploymentto the northagainst Syria. Israel does not call up reserves casually.Reserve call-upsare expensive and disrupt the civilian economy.

The Syrians already were deeply concerned by the Israeli exercise.

Eventually, the Lebanese government got worried, too, and started toevacuate some civilians from the South. Saudi Arabia told everybody to leave.Hezbollah, which still hadn’t retaliated for the Mughniyah assassination, alsoclaimed the Israelis were about to attack it, and reportedly went on alert andmobilized its forces.

The Americans, who normally issue warnings and cautions to everyone, said nothing to try to calm the situation. They just sat off shore on their ships."

Then, Little Satan's Defense Cat - Ehud Barak - ditched a trek to Deutschland at the last minute. This may be significant - as "TP II" had been planned for over a month. Why bail at the last sec?

Will HBA act with a retaliate attack? Will Little Satan pre empt?

"Ignoring all rhetoric — and the Israelis have gone out of their way to say thatthey are not looking for a fight — it would seem that each side, but particularlythe Americans and Israelis, have gone out of their way to signalthat they areexpecting conflict. The Syrians have also signaled that they expect conflict,and Hezbollah always claims there is about to be conflict.

What is missing is this: who will fight whom, and why, and why now. Thesimple explanation is that Israel wants a do over with Hiz'B'Allah. But while that might be true, it doesn’t explain everything else that has happened.

Most important, it doesn’t explain the simultaneous revelations about the bombing of Syria. It also doesn’t explain the U.S. naval deployment.

Is the United States about to get involved in a war with Hezbollah, a war that the Israelis should handle themselves?

Are the Israelis going to topple Syrian President Bashar al Assad — and then wind up with a Sunni government, or worse, an Israeli occupation of Syria? None of that makes a lot of sense."

Also, Great Satan's fave Vulcan Regime Changer - the avuncular (and nigh indestructable cardiac wise)VP Cheney hit the ME during the Arab League's Lo Down Ho Down in Damascus - and hung out with Oman.

Oman is alledgedly a fave of the Persians. Big biz - legit and shady are conducted a lot between Iran and Oman. Next up, Sec Def Gates hits the hood in of all places - Oman.

While Syria may very well desire a nuclear reactor - the locale was awful funny. A super sensitive site like that so close to the border with Turkey? The reactor story may be a smokescreen.

"Why would Syria want a nuclear reactor and why put it on the border of Turkey,a country the Syrians aren’t particularly friendly with? If the Syrians had anuclear reactor, why would the Israelis becoy about it? Why would the Americans?Having said nothing for months apart from careful leaks, why are the Israelisgoing to speak publicly now? And if what they are going to say is simply that theNorth Koreans provided the equipment,what’s the big deal?

That was leaked months ago."

Other theories include Iraqi WMD (though to be fair - WMD stashed in the same locale brings up the same quiz).

"From 1979 to 1990, Lady Thatcher's three administrations transformedpost-war Britain. High among the achievements with which she is credited iscurbing the power of the trade unions. Her governments introduced a series ofreforms on secondary picketing and the closed shop that Labour has neverreversed.

Her leadership during the conflict with Argentina over the Falklands in1982, her stand against the Soviet Union alongside Ronald Reagan that helped winthe Cold War and her programme of privatising previously state-owned industriesare also seen as high on her list of successes."

Margaret Thatcher was our longest serving prime minister of recent timesand the West's first female head of government. The "Iron Lady" is revered andreviled to this day for transforming Britain with the help of her strongleadership, her crack down on the trade unions, victory in the Falklands and herfamously combative attitude to the Europe Union."

The former PM has a considerable backlog of cool crazy one liners and deep statescraft that remains valid - perhaps even essential today. Her take on Soviet Union time Russia was spot on

"The men in the Soviet politburo don't have to worry about the ebb and flow ofpublic opinion. They put guns before butter, while we put just about everythingbefore guns. They know that they are a super power in only one sense—themilitary sense. They are a failure in human and economic terms. "

"Interventions must be limited in number and overwhelming in their impact.

I should therefore prefer to restrict my guidelines to the following:

Don't believe that military interventions, no matter how morally justified,can succeed without clear military goals

Don't take public opinion for granted -- but don't either underrate the degree to which good people will endure sacrifices for a worthwhile cause

Don't allow tyrants and aggressors to get away with it

And when you fight -- fight to win.

For my part, I favour an approach to statecraft that embraces principles, as long as it is not stifled by them; and I prefer such principles to be accompanied by steel along with good intentions.

And there will be confrontation and/or combat in dark scary places in the world where illegitimate despots and secret police torment their own people and their neighbours - until all regimes are changed - either the fun friendly way like the "Democratic Imperatives" or the old school way at the point of the world famous M 16 and a thousand cruise missiles.

Great Britain reports today that British Army cats in Afghanistan have taken the Lady PM's words to heart - celebrating the 7K Taliban bollocked while building a better future for others - the very def of humanitarianism.

"Lady Thatcher was always ready to pay the price of personal unpopularity inorder to sort things out. In troubled times, charm is an optional extra forpoliticians; common sense and raw courage are not."

The Iron Maiden reminds Great Britain, Great Satan and the entire Free World - that Peace has a Price.

"The West as a whole in the early 1990s became obsessed with a 'peace dividend'that would be spent over and over again on any number of soft-hearted andsometimes soft-headed causes.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

All the Lord's Day talky talky shows are all over it. A certain Senator who could become Pres once electile dysfunction climaxes in inauguration may have shot their own foot off pre Pennslyvania Presidential Primary by arguably dissing the very voters desired.

So how are Church going, gun toting, economically concerned Dems in Ben Franklyn Land taking it?

"By now you've probably heard about Mayhill Fowler's post for The Huffington Post in which she references statements made by Senator Barack Obama during a recent fundraiser in San Francisco. Ms. Fowler quotes Senator Obama as saying:

"You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot ofsmall towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years andnothing's replaced them," Obama said. "And they fell through the ClintonAdministration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administrationhas said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.

And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns orreligion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentimentor anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Senator Obama the Pennsylvanians who cling to their guns did so in the good years and in the bad. The Pennsylvanians who cling to their faith also did so in the good years and the bad.

Senator Obama you are correct in saying there the job market in Pennsylvania has drastically changed over the past 3 decades. Much of this economic decline can be traced back to the anti-union atmosphere fostered by the Reagan era.

And yes, Pennsylvanians have been waiting a very long time for US trade policy to give American workers a fair shake.

Of course, the decline of the American steel industry is just one factor in Pennsylvania economic struggle. My rural neighbors could certainly name many others.

Pennsylvanians aren't "bitter", they're mad as heck and not afraid to tell you that they're mad as heck.

But more than that, Pennsylvanians are disgusted with Washington and politicians that promise much and deliver little.

And by the way, we Pennsylvanians who cling to our religion do so because we know that NO politician has all the answers.

Friday, April 11, 2008

After recent claims of vacuuming (and in an ironically funny way - because they truly SUCK), the Basra battle may have indeed been the IRRGC's attempt to snag an oil rich (shia) provincial capital, landlock Iraq in a sea of Shia pockets and begin regional realization RE: the infamous crescent from Persia to the Med.

Basra has always been a fave of the Mullahs. Iran had besieged Basra for nearly 6 years during the horrible Iran Iraq war with nothing to show for it but metric tonnes of martyrs. 100's of K's of casualities and failed assaults (many times using kids ducktaped together armed with plastic keys to the gates of Paradise) against fixed machine gun and blister agent kill zones. These teenage voltiguers (Besijis in Persian) were horrifically exploited for 'Karbala' Offensives essentially for naught.

Despite being Shia heavy - Basra never really swung the Ayatollah way back in the day and resisted the Iranians.

All that is so last year (millenium actually). In the last 5 years, Iran really makes the most of her natural assets like meddling and mayhem - on a regional semi hegemonic scale.

"In the eyes of many Middle Easterners, Iran today seems to be on a roll.While other regimes (the Syrians, the Saudis, the Egyptians) are perceivedthroughout the area as inextricably mired in corruption, Islamic heterodoxy, orpolitical impotence, Iran’s Shiite mullahs have maintained an image ofintegrity, piety—and power.

There is much to sustain that image. From Damascus, which increasingly takes its directions from Tehran, to Bahrain and the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, where Shiite majorities seethe, Iranian influence is growing.

Through its Lebanese proxy, Hizballah, the Islamic Republic has placedsome 10,000 Katyusha rockets along Israel’s northern border and (according toIsraeli intelligence) has orchestrated almost two-thirds of all recent terroristattacks from the West Bank and Gaza.

Finally, over the past two years, Iranian leaders have leaned back and watched as the United States—the Great Satan—has eliminated two of their most pernicious rivals, the Taliban and Saddam Hussein."

* Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wouldn't have the courage to defend Basraat the risk of burning his bridges with the Islamic Republic in Iran.

* The international force would be in no position to intervene in the Basra battle.The British, who controlled Basra until last December, had no desire to return,especially if this meant getting involved in fighting. The Americans, meanwhile,never had enough troops to finish off al-Qaeda-in-Iraq, let alone fight Iran andits local militias on a new front.

* The Shiite clerical leadership in Najaf would oppose intervention by the new Iraqi security forces in a battle that could lead to heavy Shiite casualties. "

"The Iranian plan - developed by Revolutionary Guard's Quds (Jerusalem) unit, which is in charge of "exporting the Islamic Revolution" - aimed at a quick victory. To achieve that, Tehran spent vast sums persuading local Iraqi security personnel to switch sides or to remain neutral.

The hoped-for victory was to be achieved as part of a massive Shiite uprising spreading from Baghdad to the south via heartland cities such as Karbala, Kut and al-Amarah. A barrage of rockets and missiles against the "Green Zone" in Baghdad and armed attacks on a dozen police stations and Iraqi army barracks in the Shiite heartland were designed to keep the Maliki government under pressure.

To seize control of Basra, Quds commanders used units known as Special Groups. These consist of individuals recruited from among the estimated 1.8 million Iraqi refugees who spent more than two decades in Iran during Saddam Hussein's reign.

They returned to Iraq shortly after Saddam's fall and started to act as liaisons between Quds and local Shiite militias.

In last month's operation, Quds commanders used the name and insignia of the Mahdi Army, a militia originally created by the maverick cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, as a cover for the Special Groups.

Initially, Quds commanders appeared to have won their bet. Their Special Groups and Mahdi Army allies easily seized control of key areas of Basra when more than 500 Iraqi security personnel abandoned their positions and disappeared into the woodwork.

Soon, however, the tide turned. Maliki proved that he had the courage to lead the new Iraqi Security Force (ISF) into battle, even if that meant confronting Iran. The ISF showed that it had the capacity and the will to fight.

Only a year ago, the ISF had been unable to provide three brigades (some 9,000 men) to help the US-led "surge" restore security in Baghdad. This time, the ISF had no difficulty deploying 15 brigades (30,000 men) for the battle of Basra.

Led by Gen. Mohan al-Freiji, the Iraqi force sent to Basra was the largest that the ISF had put together since its creation five years ago. This was the first time that the ISF was in charge of a major operation from start to finish and was fighting a large, well-armed adversary without US advisers.

During the Basra battles, the ISF did call on British and US forces to provide some firepower, especially via air strikes against enemy positions. But, in another first, the ISF used its own aircraft to transport troops and materiel and relied on its own communication system.

The expected call from the Najaf ayatollahs to stop "Shiite fratricide" failed to materialize. Grand Ayatollah Ali-Muhammad Sistani, the top cleric in Iraq, gave his blessings to the Maliki-launched operation. More broadly, the Shiite uprisings in Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf and other cities that Quds commanders had counted upon didn't happen. The "Green Zone" wasn't evacuated in panic under a barrage of rockets and missiles.

After more than a week of fighting, the Iraqis forced the Quds commanders to call for a cease-fire through Sadr. The Iraqi commander agreed - provided that the Quds force directly guaranteed it. To highlight Iran's role in the episode, he insisted that the Quds force dispatch a senior commander to finalize the accord.

The Iran-backed side lost more than 600 men, with more than 1,000 injured. The ISF lost 88 dead and 122 wounded.

Some analysts suggest this was the first war between new Iraq and the Islamic Republic. If so, the Iraqis won.

To be sure, the Iranian-backed side lost partly because Iran couldn't use its full might, especially its air force. (That almost certainly would've led to war between Iran and the US-led coalition in Iraq.)

The battle for Basra showed that Iraq has a new army that's willing and able to fight. If the 15 brigades that fought are a sample, the new Iraq may have an effective army of more than 300,000 before year's end.

But the battle also showed that the ISF still lacks the weapons systems, including attack aircraft and longer-range missiles, needed to transform tactical victories into strategic ones. The Iranian-sponsored Special Groups and their Mahdi Army allies simply disappeared from the scene, taking their weapons with them, waiting for another fight.

Tehran tried to test the waters in Basra and, as an opportunist power, would've annexed southern Iraq under a quisling administration had that been attainable at a low cost. Once it became clear that the cost might be higher than the Quds force expected, Tehran opted to back down.

Yet this was just the first round. The struggle for Iraq isn't over."

Indeed, Mookie's chief adjuctant magically cashed in his very own all season pass to the perfumed gardens of Paradise. Riyahd al- Nouri was literally shot to pieces in Najaf on Friday.

Mere metres away from a secure checkpoint - no less - in the 'heart' of Mahdiarmyland.

Great Britain, Great Satan and the new Iraqi army guys are still fighting - in a semi asymmetrical way - and so is Iran and their myriad minions.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

The rhetoric of the Iranian political and military elite has become much tougher; Tehran has been flexing its military muscle over the same issue, and has ostentatiously turned down the IAEA and UN Security Council proposals to return to the negotiating table in order to resolve the problem; and finally, the Iranian Navy captured 15 British sailors before the Security Council adopted its latest resolution on tougher sanctions against Tehran.

Many experts believe that Tehran unequivocally declared its claims to regional leadership after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president in the summer of 2005. More than a year ago, he demanded that the world community recognize Iran as a "regional superpower." Positioning itself like this, Tehran placed its bets primarily on nuclear technologies, strong anti-Israeli rhetoric, and Arab support throughout the Middle East.

Tehran did not conceal its intention to reduce American prestige in Arab eyes, if not to oust the United States from the region altogether. It was convinced that the U.S. had gotten stuck in Iraq and Afghanistan, and would not bother about Iran. This was an ideal chance to portray the Big Satan as a miserable paper tiger.

Tehran, however, has clearly overestimated its potential. Its anti-Israeli and anti-American rhetoric has failed to win the unreserved support from Arabs on which it counted. The U.S. has suddenly come up with a new strategy for the region that will no longer tolerate Iran's meddling in the affairs of its neighbors.

Tehran cannot fail to see that the U.S. may use Iran's notorious nuclear dossier as a very good excuse for implementing the number-one goal of its strategy, all the more so as Washington is already planning to deploy four or five carrier-based attack groups in the Persian Gulf.

This weighty argument should prompt Tehran to look for ways to back down, but how can it find them without ruining its image as a "regional superpower"?

Clearly, Iran has every reason to become a regional power, and the world would welcome this if only Tehran did not hit its neighbors' sore spots. Iran has every right to develop civilian nuclear power, and nobody is encroaching on that. But Tehran claims that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is based on the presumption of innocence, but in reality it is the other way around. Experts believe that the NPT is based on the assumption that nuclear weapons are bound to be developed if all of their components are there.

This premise is based on a simple truth - man is weak, but the temptation is great. The world is not sure that Iran will resist this temptation because it has failed to explain properly to the IAEA why it wants to develop its own nuclear technologies.

Iran is a master of political maneuvering. Many experts have quoted the recent seizure of the Royal Navy personnel as an example. In its usual manner, Tehran has availed itself of an opportunity to escalate tensions. But this time, its maneuver has failed.

For the first time ever, the Security Council has unanimously voted for tougher sanctions against Tehran. Maybe this will compel Iran to think whether it should rush into war.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Since a certain ex war hero and sitting Senator has the GOP nomie thing locked up tighter than the neighbors tool shed, talk turns to VP's. And in a killer case presented recently by Dan 'Pre Surge' Senor talk turns (again) to Dr Rice.

“They all typically get briefings from political conservative leaders. Tendays ago, they had an interesting visit -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice-- the first time a secretary of state has visited the Wednesday meeting."

Great Satan's delectable Sec Of State Condoleezza Rice is currently 4th in line to the Pres. No one else running has that kind of 'expertise' and 'ready for the gig right at kick off' stance.

" To deal first with the obvious: Rice may be “only” the second womanand the second African-American to be Secretary of State, but she isindisputably the highest-ranking black female official ever to have served inany branch of the United States government.

And with Rice on the ticket the Republicans could attack Clinton or Obamawith far less restraint.

By choosing Rice, McCain would shackle himself anew to Bush’s Iraq war.But it’s hard to see how those chains could get much tighter than he has alreadymade them. Rice would fit nicely into McCain’s view of the war as worth fightingbut, until Donald Rumsfeld’s exit from the Pentagon, fought clumsily.

And it would be fairly easy to establish a story line that would cast Riceas having been less Bush’s enabler than a loyal subordinate who neverthelesspushed gently from within for a more reasonable, more diplomaticapproach.

Rice is already fourth in line for the Presidency, and getting bumped upthree places would be a shorter leap than any of the three Presidentialcandidates propose to make. It’s true that her record in office has been one offailure, from downgrading terrorism as a priority before 9/11 to ignoring theIsrael-Palestine problem until (almost certainly) too late. But this does notseem to have done much damage to her popularity.

In a Washington Post-ABC News poll taken when opposition to the Iraq warwas approaching its height, she enjoyed a “favorable-unfavorable” rating ofnearly two to one. The conservative rank and file likes her. Though she oncedescribed herself as “mildly pro-choice,” she is agile enough to complete thejourney to mildly pro-life. And she is a preacher’s daughter.

Choosing Rice would be a trick. Her failures would be buried in anavalanche of positive publicity for a personal story as yet only vaguely knownto the broad public. (One of the little girls who died in the 1963 Birminghamchurch bombing was her playmate? We didn’t know that!)

But the trick would not be an entirely cynical one. Her ascension, thoughnowhere near as momentous a breakthrough as the election of Obama or Clinton,would be a breakthrough all the same. In this connection, a kind word for GeorgeW. Bush may be in order.

By appointing first Colin Powell and then Rice to the most senior job inthe Cabinet, a job of global scope, Bush changed the way millions of whiteAmericans think about black public officials.

This may turn out to the most positive legacy of his benighted Presidency. "

Dr Rice appeared tickled at the thought but pointed out she's fully booked at the moment and then plans to hit campus at Stanford after Great Satan's Prezzy Campaigns and the ensuing electile dysfunction has ended in inauguration.

"Senator McCain is an extraordinary American, a really outstanding leaderand obviously a great patriot. That said, I am going back to Stanford, back toCalifornia, west of the Mississippi. I very much look forward to watching thiscampaign and voting as a voter."

Dan Senor sticks to his guns.

“What the McCain campaign has to consider is whether or not they want to pick a total outsider, a fresh face, someone a lot younger than him, a governor who people aren't that familiar with."

The challenge they're realizing is that they'll have to have to spend 30 to 45 days, which they won't have at that point, educating the American public about who this person is.

The other category is someone who people instantly say, the second theysee that announcement, 'I get it, that person could be president tomorrow.'

"In order to launch such negotiations, the next president will need to dropthe Bush precondition that Iran must first suspend its uranium enrichment.

But since there is a danger that Iran will see this as an admission of defeat in which America will concede everything sooner or later, the next president must succeed in increasing economic pressures at the same time.

To do so, and thus prime the ground for negotiations, America must convinceits European allies to adjust their policies as well as strategically influenceless friendly powers like China and Russia to fall in line.

America's readiness to talk to Iran without conditions provides leveragewith those who want it to join the negotiations with the Iranians."

A theocratic nuke power with a penchant for magically sprouting rocket rich militias, resistence movements and terrorist cells in innocent civilian rich turf threatens a resurging Russia as ex SSR’s are drawn into a Persian orbit.

Totally uncool for old school collectivists in Russia trying to reabsorb the old evil Empire.

Thanks to Great Satan. Little Taiwan (who hasn’t ever bothered anyone) deploys an amphibious assault annihilating missile shield of her very own. Like all Great Satan’s Best Girlfriends Forever she is hip and haunch: fully stocked with high tech, future weaponry and a will to survive.

Officially nukeless? Who can say? After NoKo Guy’s "6 SCUDS and a Dud Day" demo back in July 2006 Taiwan may have succumbed to temptation, seduced by survival and transformed covertly over a long weekend. She may have created a surpise or 12 of her own.

China’s lustful desires for Taiwan are a lot like THAT LOOK given by older guys who realize their dreamy dreams of snagging a precious little wikibit hottie - right off the vine - may forever remain unrequited.

If all these cats are indeed herded towards putting some sanctionized fangs into UN Sec resolutions - history’s hurdle doesn’t promise much from high level enrichment interruptus talks .

“Indeed, China too was a country that 15 years ago seemed ripe for revolution,until the regime figured out how to defuse the pressure coming from China’syouth movement for political change. If Iran continues to be successful, thereis no reason to expect revolutionary change in Iran in the near future.”

Obviously, giving red regimers in China a chance to catch their breath and maintain collectivist despotic control into the new millenium hasn’t been much of a high fiving event to soften Beijing’s imperial imperatives.

Since the Surging General is due to report this week and undisclosed Brit leakers leak that it’s all about Iran’s murderous mayhem, meddling and militias usurping Iraq’s baby sovereignity

"Petraeus is going to go very hard on Iran as the source of attacks on theAmerican effort in Iraq. Iran is waging a war in Iraq. The idea that Americacan't fight a war on two fronts is wrong, there can be airstrikes and othermoves."

"Petraeus has put emphasis on America having to fight thebattle on behalf of Iraq. In his report he can frame it in terms of oursoldiers killed and diplomats dead in attacks on the Green Zone."

Or HAMAS. And of course the myriad of resistence movements (who seem only interested in resisting formation of a functional democratic gov) in Iraq like SCIRI, Badr Corps or Mahdi Army.

Using the Indirect Approach to capture and maintain attention to an issue supreme to the mullahs and their fanboys - like survival.

And it could be done with out striking Persia per se. Vaporizing key players , fanboys and resources outside Iran would most likely arouse little sympathy for the regime in Iran among their own people.

It also makes the case that Great Satan is serious and sensitive to average Iranians and doesn't really desire a full blown war plus provide a wonderful incentive to the ever practical clerics at Preacher Command to engage in real negotiations - a friendly give and take on issues of import.

If an out and out regime killing regime change is absolutely necessary - key weaponry in Iran's armory would have been incinerated early, easily and at little cost.

wHoA!

h0t!

~hEy Y"all! DoN"t MiSs GsGf~!

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